Friday, October 26, 2012

Generosity, a divine spark.

Being generous is something very elegant! It has an elevated quality, inherent to people who have attained a high spiritual level!

Bill Gates (founder of Microsoft), Warren Buffett (investor), George Lucas (filmmaker) and Oprah Winfrey (TV host) are just some of the billionaires involved in philanthropic campaigns. But donating is only part of generosity: it is the most visible part, even when people wish to remain anonymous. Many who donate do not like to reveal their identity, because generosity only acquires its full meaning when it is coupled with discretion.

Generosity is an individual choice, of the private sphere: no one is obligated to give anything to anyone; no one is obligated to donate what took so long to achieve and get. But giving is a principle that enlarges the soul and makes people better - because when we donate something, we also donate a piece of us! Generosity is an interior and an exterior donation: besides helping the world with what we don’t need, what we do not lack, it is also an attitude that shows the true nature of people. So generosity you want to be quiet, discreet: no one needs to know what we donate or whom we donate to! This is part of what being elegant means!

But generosity is more than donating material goods. It carries some almost invisible traits, imperceptible behaviors that are, in most cases, essential to humanity, although they are basic behaviors. Generosity belongs to the world of educated, polished feelings, alongside with delicacy and gentleness.

And what is generosity beyond material donations?

It is to accept others without judgment, with a clean soul.

It is to stop being centered in your own world, talking about travelling, money, prices, brands, and show what you have and what you have done. It's to get out of your world and venture into the world of others with care and delicacy.

It is to look people in the eye, to give them a voice, and to listen to them - even those who are on the streets and that we so often pretend are invisible, that we do not see! They, some of these invisible beings, could be us - devoid of homes, unemployed, caught in the swirls of an economic crisis, whichhave the ability to sweep continents, and drag whole families into the black holes of the global economy.

It's to quietly extend the hand not only to unknown people but also to those we know, those who are next to us - because it always seems easier, safer, less threatening to help unknown people - the others - those of distant countries. It should not be so!

It is an inspirational light that comes from within, and that must be cultivated - daily. It is the ability to let others shine, is to give space to others, it is to stop being egocentric, it is to stop using the word 'I' and instead use the word 'we'. Generosity is what turns people into leaders!

It is the basic principle of solidarity - that broader donation that comes directly from the spirit! It is a divine spark that persists in humans, and that causes them to be more pure and better.